Ahead of the 42nd anniversary of Operation Blue Star on June 6, an Akhand Path was started to pay homage to those killed during the military attack on Harmandir Sahib and Akal Takht. Its bhog ceremony will be held on June 6.
Since Ghallughara Day this year precedes the crucial Assembly election, all eyes are on the events unfolding at the Golden Temple complex and Gurdwara Gurdarshan Parkash, the headquarters of Damdami Taksal.
The region has been rocked by back-to-back explosions outside the BSF headquarters in Jalandhar and the New Amritsar Cantonment area at Khasa in Amritsar recently. On Tuesday, another grenade attack was reported outside a private hospital in Gurdaspur, prompting authorities to tighten security across the border region.
Heavy police personnel in ‘mufti’ have been deployed to keep watch, and SGPC task force will be stationed inside Golden Temple to deal with any untoward incident.
Underlining the importance of the event, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, Jathedar of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Giani Tek Singh, and other prominent Sikh personalities were present at the start of the Akhand Path.
On the anniversary, Akal Takht Officiating Jathedar Kuldip Singh Gargaj will read out the customary message from the Akal Takht podium. The Jathedar and SGPC president Dhami will honour the kin of those killed during Operation Blue Star. Dal Khalsa has already given a call for an ‘Amritsar Bandh’ on June 6.
This will be Jathedar Gargaj’s first address on June 6. Last year, he avoided confrontation with Sikh organisations and neither delivered an address to the Sikh community from the façade of the Akal Takht nor honoured the families of those killed during the Army operation in 1984. He took the step after Damdami Taksal head Harnam Singh Dhuma, and Ishar Singh and Inderjit Singh — both sons of slain Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale — opposed the Akal Takht Officiating Jathedar addressing the Sikh community.
In addition, the bullet-riddled saroop of Guru Granth Sahib is put on display every year at a gurdwara inside the Golden Temple complex. The saroop, enshrined in the sanctum sanctorum of Golden Temple, was hit by a bullet during the operation. It pierced 25 ‘angs’ (pages) before lodging in its title cover. The bullet is also displayed.
Damdami Taksal holds extensive religious programmes to mark the occasion. Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who led the movement in the 1980s, was the 14th head of the Taksal. Hence, Taksal organises a massive religious programme at the gurdwara every year on June 6. Taksal refers to the Army action to flush out holed-up militants as the third Ghallughara (holocaust).
Addressing the media here on Thursday, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said that in the first week of June 1984, the then Congress government had “inflicted deep wounds on the Sikh community” by launching a military attack on Harmandir Sahib, Akal Takht, and other gurdwaras, which the community can never forget.
He demanded the release of imprisoned Sikhs, saying Balwant Singh Rajoana and others, who “embarked on the path of struggle against atrocities committed against Sikhs” and have been in jail for nearly three decades, should be freed. “The government should immediately commute Rajoana’s sentence and release all imprisoned Sikhs,” he said.
On the occasion, SGPC has put up an exhibition of photographs depicting the tragedy of June 1984 and the damaged Akal Takht, which collapsed during the military attack by the then Congress government, outside Gurdwara Sri Manji Sahib Diwan Hall. The photographs depict the atrocities.
The Punjab Police have made extensive security arrangements across the border belt.
